Southern Snow

Originally uploaded by Teckelcar

Usually doesn't stick around very long.

Yes I know that we can get big snowstorms down here in Virginia, but the normal course around here is a brief flurry of flakes that make everything wintry and pretty and by nightfall it is all gone. I have learned to send the kids out pronto to play before it all turns to slush. There was a few years go when we had good snow coverage for a week and a half, but that is rare.

Today's forecast is for snow showers and rain. At 7:00 am Jake noted that it was still fairly dark out. I told him it was cloudy and sent him off to school 15 minutes later. At a little bit past 8, while at the breakfast table, Nate excitedly noticed it was snowing. Max and Rebecca crowed to the windows, both brimming with excitement over the large fluffy clumps dropping from the sky.

At 8:35 Max, Rebecca and I donned our coats and piled into the van to go to the bus stop, Nate had already gone ahead by foot (his bus arrives at 8:40, the dynamic duo's is 10 minutes later). We pulled up to the stop and I watched as they danced under the falling flakes.

Originally uploaded by Teckelcar

I snapped a quick picture and then the batteries in my camera died. In due time the buses arrived at their appointed hours and whisked them all to school.

I loved watching the big fat clumps of flakes fall from the sky. The lawn, the trees, the deck and all the furniture outside got a lovely pure white coating of snow. I took a picture of this lovely scene while chatting on the phone with Meryl. I knew it would be gone soon and I decided to document it. It was about a quarter to 10 when I took this picture. It had stopped snowing by then and the rain hadn't started... yet. The temperature was above freezing and you could tell that the clouds were really not done.

Over the next hour and a half I saw the snow slowly fade away. The deck is slick with water and all that remains is the slush on top of the table.

Originally uploaded by Teckelcar

The last picture was taken at 11:15 am. Jake is going to be sorely disappointed that he missed out on all the snow. The slush on the table *might* be still there when he comes home at 3:30 pm, but I'm not counting in it staying for much longer. At noon there was a hard burst of rain that has now settled into a gentle drizzle.

I'm glad we head up North to see my Mom at Christmas, at least the kids get a taste of real winter. Right now she has 4 to 5 inches on the ground. That is the one thing I really miss down here in Virginia. To me winter should be cold with a nice thick blanket of snow on the ground. It's been cold, but lacking in the snow end of things.